If you ask what's missing from open source software, one of the top responses is often "documentation." While there's piles and piles of great code stuffed up on Google Code, SourceForge.net, and others, the actual documentation to accompany it is often lacking.

Having many more eyes watching the code and a community of developers backing up users, open source security applications provide a wide range of options and made-to-order uses. Here's a list of 10 serious open source security applications, gathered via the word-of-mouth of the CSOs who use them.

An open source project that turns out to be a code dump burns its users, who may sour on the whole open source experience. You have to invest in open source to succeed, just as you would in a proprietary business.

SEC document shows that Microsoft is entitled to receive key technical documentation from the Linux distributor -- even if that documentation is not generally available to open source software developers

Given all the great consumer-facing open source software available, I figured I'd try to evaluate and write reviews on those I use most often. Open source long ago stopped being about developers for other developers. Here's proof.

From the outside (and often times from within, too), the success of healthy open source projects defies all logic. Scores of individuals from all over the world, all of whom have different skill levels, use cases, experience, native languages, and time zones, collaborate together in order to help make a project succeed.

Open source healthcare is forging forward quickly on the Internet. But, fast developments often produce many failures. But, many medicinal open source projects that have gained success development. This success shows that open source alone is not the solitary factor in development.

One great benefit of using Linux, Apache, and other open source software is that you can modify the code to make it perfect for your business. But open source licensing restricts how you distribute the modifications. Here’s what a CIO needs to know about open source licenses -- making this a suitable document to show to your boss, who's been asking for a no-nonsense overview.

The CyanogenMod project is the quintessential open source success story. It’s got open source code, an individual hacker burning the midnight oil, and community endorsement that led the project to the big leagues. From a forum board to the executive board, the CyanogenMod project has come a long way riding on the shoulder of its community of users and developers.